"Tribeca’s Kitchen, located at 200 Church Street, at Duane Street, is what’s next. With Koutsoudakis’s death coming so early in the pandemic, it makes sense his diner’s recovery would lead the charge on post-pandemic New York. Andy Jr. put the diner through a top-to-bottom renovation, a deft reunion of diners and dining. Under Andy Jr.’s father, the menu was fairly standard — eggs Benedict, club sandwiches, burgers, and roast chicken — and had a loyal following. The elder Koutsoudakis had arrived as a spitfire 14-year-old Greek immigrant at an infamous low point in the city’s history: 1974, just shy of President Gerald Ford telling New York to drop dead. He loved the grit and pluck and was forever proud of attending the Sugarhill Gang’s first concert. He climbed the ladder of the city’s storied Greek diners and opened his own, Tribeca’s Gee Whiz diner, in 1989 before leaving it to open Tribeca’s Kitchen in 2014. Michael Bloomberg, Keyshawn Johnson, Keegan-Michael Key, and Taryn Toomey were all regulars. When Koutsoudakis died, his diner became blanketed in condolence bouquets, balloons, thank-you notes, and children’s drawings. Now it has entered a new chapter that knows its place as a next chapter, too. Mac and cheese now arrives as a sculpture of al dente calamarata with ox cheek, royal trumpet mushrooms, mascarpone, taleggio, and 18-month-aged Parmesan peels. A deconstructed gyro comes as an assembly kit of melt-off-the-bone lamb shank, pitas, pickled onions, and tzatziki topped with a dark green pool of basil oil. A mushroom lasagna is an umami mille-feuille. Its brunch menu, which debuted this past weekend, includes an updated Western omelet made with prosciutto and leeks and served with green goddess-dressed greens, a hash-and-eggs dish made with house-smoked pastrami, a smooth Michelada made with fermented carrot juice, a frothy iced Freddo cappuccino, and a French toast that is served on a pillow of brioche with a syrup inspired by Old Fashioned cocktails. But don’t presume froufrou fuss. Egg creams and boozy milkshakes are coming, too." - Richard Morgan
